Crochet, my private meditation

I am always on the lookout for little things to add a touch of warmth to my home. I think you can have a beautiful house with all the very best furniture but if you leave it at that, there's no heart or soul. I think it may be this feeling that has led to me crochet

. I used to look at crochet table cloths in brochures and marvel at their simplicity and beauty. I never imagined that I would be able to do such work myself.

A friend of the family gave me a lesson and it just opened the floodgates. I picked it up very quickly. I guess I wanted to learn so much that it was something for which I only needed a little urging and I was on my way.Now I dabble in all kinds of patterns. Unexpectedly my new hobby came with unexpected benefits. I realized very quickly that when I crochet I forget all of my troubles and I'm completely immersed in the work. Crochet I learned is my private meditation. When I crochet I don't think of anything heavy, I just am and some time later I feel lighter. I would reccomend to anyone as a creative outlet but also as a form of meditation.

Scary monsters super freaks

There is lots of talent to be seen in those close to me. My daughter, Natalia, and Son, Igor, and his girlfriend Elizabeth created some spectacular gargoyle heads out of paper mache for their school project.

Take a look at these fearsome faces and try to tell me you're not a little bit scared.

Paper mache over burlap base to create an almost stone like effect. Really wonderful.

Ideas for Earrings

Natalia and I were browsing in Eldorado, a clothing and craft store close to Atwater Metro station in downtown Montreal. She found a set of earrings that seemed the perfect gift for a friend on her upcoming birthday. Here's the image. I think want to try and incorporate the design idea in my own jewelry collection.

I believe Eldorado exports most of its products, mostly from Peru and some other South American countries. If you're ever in Montreal give them a visit. By the way I should say I was not paid to say this. I really do like their stuff. :)

Angels for a Baptism

A friend was recently invited to the baptism of a little boy named Matthew. She asked me to create little angels to offer as gift and so...

Pamiatka means memory, Chrzlu is the Polish word for baptism and Swietlego is saint.

Little bags

Here are two little creations of which I am especially proud. They're little bead bags. At a future date I will make them available in my Etsy store. I like to have little trinkets in my possession at all times, almost like good luck charms. 

 I also take joy in this kind of intricate work so the pleasure is two fold.

A lovely adornment for your feet

Summer is not far off. Already I can feel the bustle and energy of people out walking on the streets. I have designed a lovely foot bracelet for the change of season.

And now that summer is approaching it's time to wear open sandals.I believe these designs will add color and charm to your outdoor look. Whether you are walking on the beach or promenading in the city these colorful additions will give that stylish finishing touch.

A Foot bracelet crocheted from cotton yarn. Each edge of the triangle that adorns the foot is 12 cm long and the thread that ties around the ankle is 120 cm. I'm really proud of them.

Elephant Bookmarker

Here is an Elephant book marker that I'm working on. Elephants are known for their memories and this book marker will remember your place in your book if you let him..

Blogs I love: Violetwo

Here's a blog I thought I would share with all of you from Poland. Violetwo is run by a lovely woman in Poland who describes herself as a mother, a teacher and a craft lady and someone who could not be happier to play all of those roles. She writes in Polish but her work is a visual medium that crosses linguistic barriers. There are a communities of women the world over who share so much in common, but for the language. Craft is a uniting activity.

She has so much well made craft, all of it original. She has an eye for detail and a precision that I really admire.

Take a look for example at these paper mache dolls, hand painted in such intricate dolls. Simply lovely!

Bead Necklaces

Bead Necklaces that I'm working on.

The Magic Tree by Igor

My son Igor created this. I think it's lovely. I must admit though that I have a bit of a phobia about butterflies. It goes back to an experience many years ago when I was observing a beautiful butterfly at close range and it stuck out a long tongue. I was so shocked that I just ran away. Ever since I have been a little wary. Like an impressionist painting their beauty is best appreciated from afar. That is my admittedly idiosyncratic perspective anyway.

Friendship Bracelets now available on my Etsy store

Natalia created these friendship bracelets with painstaking effort. They're as good as any I see in stores. She has an eye for detail and a real patience with handiwork. The apple does not fall far from the tree :).

Earrings now in my Etsy Store

Here are a new collection of earrings that I've created. They're available now in my Etsy shop.

    Here I used yellow cotton yarn crocheted around metal ring frame. There are two frames, one within the other. In the center I have placed a red coral bead. They're 4 cm in diameter, or less than two half inches.

Here I used cotton yarn, again crocheted around a metal ring frame. The design has been varied here but the dimensions are the same.


For this set and the fourth set below I used a similar design to the one above but I varied the color. Again the dimensions are the same for all 4 sets of earrings.

Guardian Angels

Decorative angels are often found in the rooms of children in Poland. When children are afraid it is not unusual for their parents to remind them that their guardian angels are watching over them. It provides a reassurance, a symbol of security.

A survey conducted in a recent issue of  Time magazine showed that almost 70 percent of people in the United States believed in angels, and half of the population believed that a guardian angel kept watch over them. This may explain the enduring popularity of the holiday classic film It's a wonderful life.

Guardian angels are everywhere. Whatever your beliefs may be, and the guardian angel is certainly a cross cultural phenomenon, there is much good that comes from such tradition.

History and tradition is an extension of our memory, the individual blending with the collective. I often find myself living through traditions old and more recent familial ones. Taking a moment to reflect always is illuminating.

Handcrafted Angels

A particular source of joy is creating my angel collection. Each one is special for me and when I work on them I am lost to the world, in a good way.

I have friends who meditate and rave about the benefits. For me when I work on craft and art I feel the benefits that my friends describe when they talk of meditation.

I suppose it stands to reason. Any kind of creative endeavor requires focus on fine details and as you are absorbed in those details you lose for a time all of your worries and are in the moment.

Amigurumi

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of creating crocheted stuffed dolls. The first time I saw it I fell in love with what I saw.

These lovely figures that had an almost organic quality to them. I quickly set out to try it myself. I now am able to create all kinds of creatures. It's very involved work. I find it soothing, almost meditative.

Here is Max preparing for a swim.